Yamamoto Baiitsu (1783 - 1856). Yamamoto Baiitsu was a Japanese painter in the Nanga style of the late Edo period. Yamamoto Baiitsu was the eldest son of a sculptor in Nagoya. He showed an early interest in painting and learned its basics - like Nakabayashi Chikuto - under Kamiya Ten'yu, a rich pawnbroker, antique connoisseur and amateur painter, by copying his works in the style of the southern song. Baiitsu was very impressed with Wang Wan's ink paintings of cherry blossoms. In 1803 Baiitsu went to Kyoto with Chikutō and further developed under Yamada Kujō and Yamamoto Rantei, also worked with Uragami Shunkin. He also studied Chinese paintings in temples in and outside of the city. In this way, he developed his own style. In 1854 he went back to Nagoya, where he was appointed official painter of the Owari clan and received samurai status. He died two years later. Baiitsu's landscapes, figures and pictures of flowers and birds impress, they are all tastefully and well designed. Baiitsu was very productive and many of his works still exist. With Chikuto he is one of the great Nanga painters in Nagoya, where he also had many students. His masterpieces include Waterfall and Bamboo Grove, in the Nagoya City Museum, a hanging scroll that is registered as an Important Art Object. Also worth mentioning is a pair of screens with the title Pine, Bamboo and Plum: these are the classic Three Friends of the Cold Season in East Asia. The work is in the Cleveland Museum of Art.